Operation Occupation
by StarrNight
Summary: MTM book 5. Elli wants desperately to get the job as Tim's nurse, but he says medicine is no place for a "foolish woman." Luckily, Elli has a lot of spunk and a whole town full of teen girls at her disposal! Read and Review!
1. One

_Wow. So. It's been a long time since I was in the HM fanfiction world. I'm so sorry! Life got crazy!_

_BUT here it is! The fifth book in the MTM series!_

_IMPORTANT: This book is in the Mineral Town Maiden series that I've been writing for five years. You should read the previous stories before reading this one if you want to understand it on a deeper level. That being said, this story can stand on its own if need be. _

_Enjoy! Please review! _

Operation Occupation

Chapter One

I'm terrible at public speaking. Really, I am. It's frightening and I feel like everyone in the audience are staring at me, begging me to make a mistake so they can laugh about it later. Mary is convinced that I'm hopeless and should get a grip on myself. _It's just a story, Elli. You're writing, not speaking in public. _Easy for her to say…I mean, she might as well have been born with a pen clutched in her fingers! I, on the other hand, am a doctor, not a writer!

Okay, I lied. I'm not actually a doctor. I'm a nurse. Here in Mineral Town we don't make a clear distinction between the two. So one might have a Ph.D. Big hoorah. I think of the two as symbiotic creatures; one benefits from the other and vice-versa. I couldn't work without Tim, and Tim…well…he needs a lot of things.

Tim and I didn't always know each other. My family moved to Mineral Town when I was four. A family of fellow doctors lived in the clinic beside the apartment we shared with the Mayor. Because both of our families were in the medical field, my parents and the Burnetts became fast friends. I remember peeking from behind my mother's long skirts and being shocked to find a pair of brown eyes peering back at me.

That was Tim, five at the time and so precocious. Our parents worked together at the clinic treating the citizens of Mineral Town and consequently he and I were left alone for hours and were expected to amuse each other. I don't know how we ever started talking. I was a quiet child and he was practically a mute. He started going to school a year before I did and I waited everyday for him to come home and teach me everything he learned. Sometimes he did and sometimes he didn't, but when it was time for me to go to school, I was the most advanced first-grader the traveling teacher had ever seen.

Most of the children in Mineral Town were younger than I. The year I moved in, Basil and Anna Faune gave birth to a girl named Mary. Two seasons later, Mr. and Mrs. Simons had a baby girl named Popuri. She was the last child of that generation. Her brother, Rick, was two years younger than me. A little girl named Ann lived at the Inn with her parents, Camellia and Doug. There were, however, two girls who were just my age, Aja Aym and Joanna Mitchell.

Joanna and I were good friends for the majority of our childhood. She and I were alike; we were quiet and liked playing with dolls and sewing little frocks for them to wear. Aja was cut from a different mold. She was bouncy and cheerful and had the funniest country accent I'd ever heard. Neither one of them stuck around for too long. Joanna ran away when we were teens and Aja…well, actually, I'm not sure what happened to her. Her father, Duke, was an alcoholic. That can be hard on anyone.

One by one other kids came to the valley. Gray arrived first. He stepped off the boat with a scowl on his face that didn't go away for at least a year. If he hadn't been three years younger than me, I would have thought him exceptionally cute! Mary managed to wipe the depression from his face by becoming his best friend.

Karen was also dragged unwillingly to the island by her parents, Jeff and Sasha. She showed up on my doorstep one morning when my mom and I were trying to pry the family dog out from under a table to take him to Tim's parents who served as veterinarians in their limited spare time.

She really set the town on fire, that one did. Not literally! Metaphorically! Her first day of school she refused to wear a long skirt and instead opted for a shameful little piece of jean fabric that barely covered what she had. I was sixteen that year; my baby brother Stu had been born the year before. When Karen pranced down the aisle of the church where we held school, all the boys' faces heated up about sixty degrees. Tim opened his eyes so wide I kicked him under the desk just so he'd close them in pain. I heard she actually brought a spin-the-bottle game to Mary's sixteenth birthday. Tim swore up and down that he refused to play and hadn't kissed anyone. I believed him. But I believed a lot of things.

It was a year later that Tim and I's lives changed dramatically. Old Man Aberle, who lived in a farm neighboring the Blacksmiths and the Poultry Farm, moved out of Mineral Town. His move gave my and Tim's parents an idea. "Elli! Elli! Come downstairs for a minute, your father and I need to talk to you!"

I skipped down the stairs to the living room to face my parents. Now that I was seventeen going on eighteen I didn't see them as often as I used to. It sometimes unnerved me to see how old they looked. "What is it? I'm studying."

They bade me sit down. My father grasped my mother's hand. "Elli, your mother and I have been given a fantastic opportunity," he said proudly. "one that we feel we can't refuse."

"Yes, dear, Marc and Jenny are opening a new clinic and giving their old one to Tim!"

Tim would be so pleased. He'd been waiting for a break like this since he was fifteen. I squealed happily. "That's wonderful! Oh, mom, I can't wait to talk to him about it!" A thousand questions ran through my mind. "Where's the new clinic going to be?"

"We're still not sure yet," answered my father.

"I've been reading in this medical magazine that surgeons are wanted on the coast because of the shark attacks and…and…what do you mean when you say 'we?'" I asked, suddenly confused.

My mother glowed with pride. "We're going to go with Marc and Jenny and help set up the new place! Won't that be neat?"

Oh boy! A trip! A trip to places I'd never seen and could only dream about! "Oh, my goodness, how exciting! When are we leaving?"

Dad glanced at the calendar. "In about…half a season. Your mother and I want to see you graduate first, of course."

"Well, sure, how could I finish school if I was in another city? Wow, oh wow I need to start packing…I need to get Chester's heartworms taken care of…I have so many things to do…" I looked around for my shaggy canine best friend, Chester.

My parents became extremely still all of a sudden. "Darling…when your father said 'we,' he meant…he and I."

"What, you mean…you mean I'm not going? Why?"

"Well, someone has to stay and take care of Stu."

"Why can't we take him with us?"

"It doesn't work that way. We'll be busy. All the time. He needs someone who can care for him consistently and for a while that will have to be you, Elli." Mom explained this all very carefully, as if I were mentally unbalanced.

My glorious bubble of hope burst and splashed me with sticky reality which burned like perchloric acid. I wasn't getting away from this town. I was being forced into being my brother's mother until the real one came back. "How long will you be gone…?" I whispered, my voice faint.

Again they sat still beside one another. My father replied in a hearty voice. "Not long, darling. Not long at all. A couple of seasons. Just enough to get our dearest of friends started in a new town."

"Sweetie…I know we're asking a lot of you when we ask you to take care of the baby while we're gone. It just means that we trust you. We'll bring you back tons of souvenirs." My mother's smile was gold. "You're so responsible, Elli. We're so proud of you."

I believed her. But like I said before, I believed a lot of things.


	2. Two

_Starry here! Chapter two is UP! I always try to stay at least four chapters ahead in my writing, so I'm currently working on chapter six. Very excited!_

_Thank you so much to my reviewers! It made me all warm inside for you guys to come read and review. _

Chapter Two

Here's something I find funny: no one ever pays attention to me. I'm not pointing this out to garner your sympathy. It's simply a fact. I can enter and leave a room without anyone ever being the wiser. Sometimes that can be endlessly useful. Sometimes it's just sort of depressing.

For instance, when I was sixteen, Karen and Rick got into a big fight because she had said she'd date some boy that lived in Mineral Town for a few months. I think his name was…Jonathan? James? Goodness, I don't remember. Anyway, I sat beside Rick in school for a while so I could help him with his science work. Like most people, he completely forgot I was there beside him, so I got to sit and watch him draw Karen's boyfriend being hung from a tree, stabbed, eaten by a giant frog, struck by lightning, and thrown in a river. I told Karen later about what I'd seen but I could tell she didn't believe me.

Sometimes I would sit in a corner in the Clinic until Tim came back from class. He wouldn't realize I was there and would actually smile and talk to himself if his parents were gone. A couple of times I even heard him singing. He has a pleasant voice, honest! It's low and smooth. From sitting in a corner I learned that Tim works sudoku puzzles when he's angry and listens to classical music when he's sad. He likes green tea with a splash of milk when he's reading medical textbooks.

Once my parents left, however, everyone started paying attention to me. Women would see me making trips to the Supermarket with Stu balanced on my hip and would take pains to ask me how I was doing and if I needed anything. "Elli, if you ever need anyone to watch Stu for an afternoon, I'll be glad to help you out," Manna assured me.

"Thanks. I appreciate it. But my parents should be back soon," I replied.

"O-of course. Naturally!" Manna's smile was strained. "Just remember that I'm here for you! Tell me if you ever need something!"

What I needed was a job. After the first few weeks, my parents started to forget to send Stu and I money to buy groceries. I didn't blame them…it must be hard starting a whole new clinic! Imagine! Be that as it may, I had to feed Stu and myself. Employment just didn't come easily in Mineral Town. Manna had offered help…but I didn't want to work at a _winery_. There was something downright _unladylike_ about selling alcohol. Jeff and Sasha already had Karen to help them at the Supermarket. Doug didn't need help from anyone at the Inn. The Poultry Farm was a family business. Besides, I wanted to do something with medicine, like my parents. I wanted to be a nurse. I'd been studying to receive my LPN license.

Tim was unrestrainedly dispassionate about the departure of his parents. "It makes no difference to me whether they stay or whether they go," he explained while scrubbing surgical instruments in a basin of soapy water. "and don't give me that _look_, Elli, you know I can't stand that look. My parents will do as they please. They always have."

I was twirling slowly in his new revolving office chair behind his desk in the Clinic. "Won't you miss them?" I asked.

He paused mid-scrub to gaze at me. His eyes were disappointed. "I thought you knew me better than that."

See, the thing was that I _did _know him. Tim thinks he's all mysterious and complicated…but he's really not.

…

Stu cried all morning the day my parents left with the Burnetts. My mother had trouble transferring him from her arms into mine because his little hands flew everywhere, grasping at anything to hold on to her. He grabbed her clothes, her fingers, even her short ash blonde hair until she distanced herself sufficiently from the two of us. Goodbyes were short and choppy; I was still angry that I was being left behind and didn't feel particularly sociable.

I'd graduated that previous Saturday, proudly receiving my ribbon-bound diploma and wearing the long black gown and all. My father bought me a bouquet of daisies mixed with tiny blue roses. I pressed them between the pages of _Jacob Have I Loved._ Years later I opened the book and the petals fell out like a snowfall and I cried.

After the boat left I turned and carried a hiccupping Stu back to the apartment. Tim had been standing a few feet behind us at the dock and walked with us through the town. When we reached my doorstep he twisted his face in the way that meant he had something to say, but seemed to deem it unnecessary and strode away silently instead. I opened the door of the apartment and began my long career as a mother.

…

After about a season and a half of mothering my little brother, I was ready to just plain quit. Kids are impossible sometimes! Don't get me wrong, I love Stu…but I didn't realize how much _attention _kids needed all the time. The women in Mineral Town became infinitely useful when I needed a few hours to study for my LPN license test.

Mom and Dad wrote home about once a week at first. Their attempts at opening the clinic were not successful at the first location they tried, so they were moving to a different city to try afresh. Dad suggested I get a job while they were gone to keep myself occupied-like Stu wasn't trouble enough!

All this talk about jobs had me thinking, though. Where could I get one? What could I do? I needed something that would give me practical experience in nursing so I could put it on my transcript…

Well…duh! Tim! How obvious could it be? I was training to be a nurse and Tim was a nurse-less doctor! It was like peanut butter and jelly or teddy grahams and chocolate frosting! Talk about some holy lightning. Thank you, Harvest Goddess. Tim was one of my dearest friends in the whole world. He'd help me out.

…

"No? What do you mean 'no?'" I shrieked, standing in the middle of the Clinic facing Tim.

"Elli, please don't shout. It gives me a headache," the black-haired villain replied calmly.

"But why not? Don't you see it's perfect? You need a nurse and I need the experience!"

Tim's nose tilted up just a little. "I don't _need _a nurse, thank you, I'm fine on my own as it is…"

"Sure you need a nurse. I could…I don't know…organize things and clean things and make appointments for you…"

"Why, because my office is so disorganized?"

I didn't have much of a reply to that one. His office was orderly enough to satisfy the most hardened perfectionist. "Well. You still need another person here to…look out for you and…um, share the load." I totally got that line off of _Lord of the Rings._

Tim sighed deeply. "You're right. I do need another person. But you're just not the right one for the job."

"Why not?"

"Don't take this the wrong way now…"

"I won't. Promise."

He sighed again. "You're a girl."

I was completely nonplussed. "Duh. You want to point something else obvious out to me? Like the fact that your fly is unzipped?" He squeaked and checked it. "Gotcha," I sang.

Making Tim lose his composure is one of my hobbies. Blood seeped into his face, turning it red. "See! That's exactly the childish, immature behavior I'd expect from a woman," Tim spat. "especially a seventeen-year-old! This whole idea is bad. Once a month you'd menstruate and I'd have to put up with you crying and good-heavens-knows-what. Plus you have your little brother to deal with and that would be endlessly problematic."

"That's exactly it, Tim. I need the money. My parents keep forgetting to send us checks. I need a job. Please. Pretty please."

"Well, find it somewhere else." He turned away from me. I wasn't mad at him until he said: "Medicine is no place for a foolish woman."

…there are no words to describe how angry that made me. Blind, disgusting, chauvinistic blackguard. I was a foolish woman, eh? Women didn't belong in medicine, eh?

We'd see about that.


	3. Three

_Chapter three is up!_

…_no reviews of 2?_

_Angst._

Chapter Three

My name isn't really Elli. It's actually Eleanor. My mother's name was Eleanor too, but everyone called her Ella. My grandmother's name was Eleanor, too; it's a family tradition. Eleanor means "shining light, compassion." That's not as strong a name as Bill or Hercules, but we Eleanors are a willful bunch. My great-grandmother supposedly fought off a nasty case of pneumonia while running a farm, tending six children, and keeping dinner hot on the table every night. She is said to have done it all without any kind of medication, save for honey and chamomile tea. Pure willpower kept her alive, my grandmother would announce proudly. Sheer nerve, she'd say. Another Eleanor, Eleanor Roosevelt, was quoted to say "Women are like tea bags, they don't know how strong they are until they get into hot water."

Tim obviously never read that quote or heard the story of my great-grandmother Eleanor who scared pneumonia away with her mind, because he expected me to accept his answer as soon as he said no. Giving up was a task I could not do. I could put up with Stu's nightly tantrums. I could balance a checkbook. I could even administer an enema. But watching a dream that made such sense go sailing away out a window? Never. If this job was a butterfly, by golly I was going to chase that pretty creature until I held it in a jar.

I left the Clinic and stormed past my house, the Mayor's house, and the bench upon which sat Karen and Rick. Karen took in my furious expression and slid off the bench to come walk beside me wordlessly. Her silence was odd and somehow calming. As we turned the corner in front of the library, I couldn't stand it any longer and burst out, "Tim makes me so mad!" Karen nodded at me to continue. "He's the most…stubborn…bulldog of a doctor I've ever met!" I explained to her what I had asked Tim and how he had responded. "He said he didn't want me for a nurse."

Karen twisted her mouth to the side and spoke for the first time. "Maybe he wants a nurse with more experience. You have to admit, you're pretty new to this."

"No, no, it wasn't experience. He said he didn't want me because I was a woman. He said I'd 'menstruate and good-heaven-knows-what.' Jerk."

This revelation shocked my blonde companion to the core. "He turned you down because you're _female?_" I nodded. "That's chauvinist! He can't do that!"

"He just did," I pointed out grimly.

"You can't let him get away with that!"

I stopped in the middle of the street and sighed, letting my shoulders relax and slump in defeat. "What can I possibly do about it? You know Tim. He sticks to his word."

Karen's eyes were unfocused and glassy; she was thinking about something and thinking about it hard. She crossed her arms and frowned up at the sky. "What you have to do," she said slowly, "is make him realize how much he actually needs you."

The wheels began to rotate in my brain as I caught her meaning and chewed on it. "You mean…find his weaknesses…and exploit them?"

"Exploit them? Ha! Let's make him beg for you to stay at the Clinic as his nurse forever. I'll help you." Karen's face lit up as she imagined the mischievous possibilities unfolding before her.

Her excitement radiated off onto me. "This is doable! Yes! Only…what about Stu? I need someone to watch him when I'm busy working on this…"

Karen's shift to unease was comical. "I don't do kids. Let someone else take care of him. Popuri likes kids-let her do it."

Was she being serious? Thirteen-year-old Popuri was quite possibly the last person on the whole island I'd let be responsible for my little brother. It was no secret that she was a shameless scatterbrain and immature to boot. "Definitely not Popuri."

"Mary, then. She's a good kid."

"Alright, I'll ask Mary. Maybe she'll help us too." Mary was fourteen, but acted like she was twenty-five. She and Karen used to hate each other fiercely, but they got over that sometime last year. I still wasn't used to seeing them be friendly to each other. If only Aja and Joanna were still here…I could have used their help immensely. The town had not heard word from either of them yet. For all we knew, we never would.

Mary turned out to be a first-rate choice for a fellow conspirator. The four of us (I had brought my little brother with me) huddled in the upstairs floor of the balcony, talking in soft voices. "Feminism is a relatively new movement in the modern world…it's no wonder men are having a hard time adjusting to the new social and mental equilibrium. All the same, Tim has ought not pursue his primitive misogynistic agendas in the face of need such as yours, Elli," Mary offered as if Karen and I had understood anything she'd just said.

"Right," Karen agreed, her face telling me to just-nod-and-go-with-it. "that's what I was thinking too."

"Uh. Yes," I also agreed. "Karen suggested we find some way to prove that he needs me."

Mary nodded conspiratorially. "Of course. Men are stubborn. They won't believe you until they see it for themselves."

"Alright. I'll think of our first attack and tell you tomorrow." I said. My mind was already spinning with ideas as I left the library, cradling the sleeping Stu on my shoulder. I went home, put him to bed, and sat down at the kitchen table to think. Tomorrow was the first day of summer and the house was already getting hot. Heat waves weren't my favorite weather; I liked sweater weather best. I couldn't wait for summer to end and fall to begin. Stu would turn three years old this fall. Perhaps my mother and father would come down to celebrate his birthday. I hoped so, but I didn't fully believe it. They had only sent me a pair of warm mittens for my birthday and their last letters indicated they were at least four days' travel away. I walked over to my brother's cradle, ran my thumb over his smooth cheek, and pitied him. Poor kid deserved better than a seventeen-year-old sister who could barely make ends meet for a mother.

That's why I needed this job. For Stu. And I wasn't going to give up.

…..

Aja and Joanna's absence left Mineral Town feeling empty for a while. Last year, the summer before my parents left, however, two new people showed up that brought life back to the small town. Barley awoke and opened the front door to find a baby in a carrier sitting on his doorstep. It was a lovely little girl who looked very similar to Joanna. A note was attached to the carrier that said simply, "Her name is May." Old Barley had no choice but to take in his granddaughter and begin the process of raising a child all over again. He loved her immediately, but never spoke of her mother to her.

That same summer, A dark-skinned, exotic-looking man named Kai appeared on the dock and announced that he was opening a Snack Shack on the beach. I didn't talk to him much, but Manna was absolutely smitten with him for a while. She introduced him to Gotz, who helped him build his bright-white shop just yards from the ocean. He wasn't a playboy or a troublemaker. He stayed quietly on the beach from the first day of summer to the last, then packed up his belongings and left the town for another course of seasons.

Kai was, incidentally, walking past the Clinic the second day of summer when I was to be found in a tree beside a window in the Clinic's wall, staring into it. He gave me an odd look and kind-of-sort-of-not-really waved. I kind-of-sort-of-not-really waved back and put a finger to my lips, begging him not to say anything. He agreed silently, smiling in a conspiratorial way and walking away. I turned my attention back to the window and squinted my eyes to block out the sun rays reflecting off the glass.

Tim was talking to Jeff, Karen's father and owner of the local supermarket. Jeff was holding his stomach and sweating, his face slightly green. He was obviously very nauseous. Tim walked away from him and into his office, twisting his face in an uncomfortable way. I leaned forward, almost losing my grip on the branch I was sitting on. It looked like Tim did not like people throwing up! I had no problem with it at all-Stu had thrown up on me dozens of time because he liked eating bugs.

Karen and I showed up in Mary's library an hour later and were chagrined to find Tim inside as well. He was reading up on the herbs of the valley. Mary noticed us and shrugged. "He's been here for fifteen minutes. He also came here yesterday around this time and stayed for three hours."

"We can't talk properly with him here. He'll get suspicious!"

Mary shrugged. "Not sure what to tell you except that we could find somewhere else to talk. I can shut down the library for a few hours and let him stay here."

….

We ended up in Farmer Aberle's old deserted house. It was dusty and unfurnished, but it was remote and we were not likely to be overheard. Karen rubbed her hands together and grinned. "Alright. What's the plan?"

"You are going to make pudding, Karen. From scratch. Anna gave me an old recipe. And you, Mary, are going to eat it!" It was a brilliant plan.

Karen wrinkled her forehead. "But no one ever wants to eat my cooking. "

Well, duh. Her cooking sucked. "That's the point, silly."

"Wait, you want me to eat Karen's cooking and get sick?" Mary asked incredulously. She backed away from Karen with her hands up. "Thanks, but no thanks, Elli. I refuse."

"Hey, my cooking isn't _that _bad. You can eat just a little…" Karen pouted, her lower lip stuck out.

Mary was ruining my plan. "Come on, Mary! Tim will make you feel better almost immediately! He'll call me and I'll help you!" I plead. She couldn't back out on me. This was a good idea.

She shook her head again, her black braid swinging from side to side. "Not a chance, Elli. You know I love you. But this is pushing the envelope more than

I'm comfortable with."

I threw up my hands in disgust. "Well, somebody's gotta eat it!"

"Why don't you eat it yourself?" Karen asked.

"I have to be there when Tim gets sick from watching the person who ate it get sick. If that made any sense." I explained.

Karen thumped herself on the head. "Oh. Duh." She paced the floor of the farmhouse while Mary watched warily. "I've got it!"

"What?" Mary asked, afraid it involved her in some way.

"We need someone crazy! Who do we know that's crazy enough to eat something that will make them sick?"

It clicked in my brain. "Ann! Ann will do it. Remember? She ate that green egg that one of Rick's chickens laid…she puked for like a week!" Ann was a nut and I adored her.

Karen nodded smugly. "She's perfect. Man, I'm good at this!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now let's go get her."

Mary spoke up from a corner. "I'll run to the Inn."

"Okay. You get Ann, I'll go home and get my recipe…Karen, you focus on doing whatever it is you do when you cook. Meet back here in thirty. Got it? Break!"


	4. Four

_Not much to say here. Enjoy :D_

Chapter Four

Quite a posse was assembled in the farmhouse's kitchen. Karen stood in the center, hair tied in a bun and eyes darting nervously from the recipe to the bowl in front of her. "The pudding is too yellow. Why is the pudding yellow? What did I do?"

Ann grunted with frustration. "Did you simmer the eggs long enough?"

"I don't know! Maybe? I forgot to set the timer…"

"Whoa! Careful with the corn flakes! What are you trying to make, haystacks?" Ann's inner chef was coming out full force as she watched the way Karen was butchering the pudding, one of her favorite recipes to make during the cold winter months. "If you add that much vanilla, it's going to taste like dirt."

Mary giggled. "I bet it already tastes like dirt."

"Hey!" Karen complained. "It does not!"

I stuck my finger into the bowl of off-colored mush and tasted it. It felt like snot and tasted like cough syrup. Karen glared at me and I shrugged my shoulders apologetically. "Sorry…"

Karen stirred the pudding feverishly. "There are brown specks in it. Are there supposed to be brown specks in it?"

"Yes, Karen," Ann answered sadly. "That's the cinnamon."

"Oh," Karen said. "Right." Mary and I craned our necks to watch the yellow slime congeal. It looked completely inedible. Karen finally wiped the little fringes of hair off her forehead and scooped a ladleful of the mess into a bowl Ann had brought with her. "Bon appetit!" She yelled, pleased with herself.

Ann stared into the bowl. "Wow. It looks like somebody hawked up the world's biggest booger."

Karen grinned. "Yeah, I know. Isn't it great?"

"Yeah!" Ann laughed uproariously and grabbed a spoon. "Let's do this!" She filled the spoon and popped it in her mouth. Mary, Karen, and I watched her every move. Her eyes opened wide and her nose wrinkled in disgust. After a couple of shallow chews, she swallowed. It took obvious effort.

"How is it?" I asked.

She grimaced for a few seconds before replying. "Disgusting."

"Great," Karen said. "Eat up!"

Ann grinned stupidly at us all before downing the whole bowl.

…

"Tim! Tim!" Karen yelled, supporting a moaning Ann on one shoulder. Mary and I hid around the corner from the Clinic, watching the scene unfold. "Tim! Help, please!" It was amazing how fast the pudding had affected Ann. One second she was giggling at how nasty the stuff was and the next she was doubled over and sweating like a horse. Karen, feeling like her friend's misery was mostly her fault, swung the redhead's arm over her shoulder and began hauling her to the Clinic. As she pulled Ann up the street, she whispered, "Come on Ann! Do it for Elli!"

"Shut up…" Ann groaned before shutting her mouth firmly against the pudding threatening to come back up.

Tim was surprised and worried when he opened the door and admitted the two girls. He swept Ann up into his arms and took her to the examination room where he laid her out on the table. "What happened?" He asked her. She glared at him and he understood that she wasn't up to talking at that moment. He then turned to Karen. "What happened to her?"

Karen shrugged. "I dunno, Doc. We were eating pudding and all of the sudden she turned green and collapsed."

"Pudding?" Tim asked. He took a long look at his patient, who was whimpering in a fetal position on the table, and understood. "Who made the pudding?"

"Why's that important?" Karen asked, sore at his tone.

Tim scrutinized her sternly with dark eyes. "Karen…" His tone was warning.

Karen rolled her eyes. "Well, I made it. But I see nothing wrong with that. I'm a great cook."

Even in her weakened state, Ann managed a sick, bubbly snicker. Tim glared at Karen. She peered back at him, the fluorescent lights glimmering off her hair, which shone like spun gold. Defeated by her innocent look, he exhaled heavily. "Alright, Karen. I won't fuss. Just…stop cooking, would you please?"

"How could I do that? I love cooking!"

"Well…you can cook then, but…don't let anyone eat what you make."

Karen was shocked. "What am I supposed to do with it then?"

"Throw it out the window."

Ann chortled from the table again and immediately moaned. "Tim…I think I'm gonna hurl…"

"Hold on!" Tim rushed from the room and returned shortly, carrying an emesis basin. He held it while Ann puked remorselessly into it. "Better out than in. Especially in this case."

When Ann had emptied her stomach of all the pudding, she lay back, exhausted. "See, that wasn't that bad," Karen commented cheerfully. "Nice work, Ginger."

Tim wasn't sure what to say to Karen and so left the room to wash out the basin. Ann lay on the table for a few more minutes, then slowly sat up and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "Gosh, Karen. How much tapioca did you put in that stuff? That's all I taste…"

Karen raised her eyebrows, confused. "I didn't put any tapioca in it."

"Then what were those chewy things in the pudding?"

"Grits. I thought they looked the same."

Ann put her head in her hands. "I think I'm going to be sick again."

…

I was highly disappointed when they exited the Clinic and made their way over to where Mary and I were hiding. "What happened? Did it not make you nauseated enough?" I asked.

"Oh, it made her sick alright! She puked up half her guts!" Karen was gleeful over the success of her pudding. This experiment proved her cooking was good for something after all.

"How did Tim handle it? Did he leave the room? Why didn't you come get me?"

Karen shrugged. "Nah, he handled it just fine. Held her hair back and everything. Sorry, Ells, but no dice on the nausea front."

I pouted openly, right there beside the Clinic. "Geez! I was sure that would work."

"I could try harder on the pudding next time…" Karen suggested.

"NO!" Ann yelled.

…..

Barley had been keeping Stu all afternoon for me, letting him color with May on the floor. I dropped by, collected my little brother, kissed May on the head, and thanked Barley. He assured me it was no problem and I left to go back home. Stu chattered happily as he clumsily walked beside me. I smiled and nodded when it was appropriate, but was mostly thinking about my next course of action. My parents hadn't sent money this week and it was almost time to buy groceries.

I worried as I turned the corner to my street, I worried as I reached for the doorknob to my apartment, and I worried as I opened the door. The lights were already on, which startled me. "Elli, dear!" A voice cried from the kitchen.

I swung Stu behind me in a protective stance until I recognized the figure in front of the stove. It was my grandmother, Ellen. She held a cane in one hand and had the other extended in front of her for a hug. I dropped Stu's hand and ran into her arms. "Oh, Grandma Ellen, it's so good to see you! What are you doing here?"

"Well, I heard about your parents so I came to stay with you and help you with my grandson." She patted me on the cheek. I smiled because she smelled of ginger and cloves, a comforting, homey smell that reminded me of when my whole family would travel to visit her. Supported by her cane, she crossed the room to where Stu stood eyeing her warily. "Hello, Stu. Come give your Grandma a hug!"

He wasn't sure if he liked her being in our house yet, I could tell. He'd warm up to her, though. Everyone always did. She was a very likeable person. She helped me give him a bath and put him to bed, then we sat up late into the night, talking about life. I told her all about Tim and the job I wanted. "My first plan didn't work. I'm wondering if it's really worth it.."

"Elli. If your heart is pulling you towards something with all its might…it's always worth it." She reached out a knotted hand and touched my cheek. "If anyone would make a top-notch nurse, it would be my granddaughter. Don't give up on your dreams, darlin'. Make them happen."

As I lay in bed that night, petting Chester on his big shaggy head, I felt peaceful for the first time since my parents left. I remembered my younger self sitting in Grandma Ellen's kitchen eating pecan pie and talking about all the things I was too embarrassed to discuss with my parents, like boys and periods and God. I drifted to sleep and did not remember my dreams.


	5. Five

_Two days until graduation. I can do this!_

_Thanks for the reviews :]_

Chapter Five

Liberated from the hassle of making breakfast and doing the dishes, I was free to connive with Mary and the girls the next morning. Once again we huddled in the dusty dimness of the library's upper level. Ann whistled cheerfully but, if you ask me, still looked a little pale. "So. Yesterday did not work out like I had planned," I said. "We need a new course of action, ladies."

Karen fiddled with a hole in her shirt, thinking hard. "Someone needs to get something serious. Like the Black Plague. That'd show him."

"Really, Karen. That's asinine. It's highly contagious. We would all perish in a matter of weeks. Even if it were feasible, just where would you propose we get virulent strains of the Black Plague?" Mary chided, scratching her thigh angrily.

Karen shrugged. "E-bay?"

Mary rolled her eyes and Ann giggled. I scowled at the lot of them. "Focus, people. Focus." Ellen had brought a solid amount of money into the household, but it wasn't enough to sustain us permanently. I needed this job.

"Let's push Rick off of Mother's Hill! I've always wanted to see what would happen!" Ann jumped up. "We can put him on a sled! It'll be like Christmas in July!"

"Make them go away, Elli-they're not being any help at all," pleaded Mary. She scratched her leg with a pained expression on her face.

"No, no. They're fine," I replied wearily, tossing a glare in Karen and Ann's direction for good measure. Mary's continued scratching of her leg attracted my attention. "What's the matter with your leg? You've been restless since I arrived."

Mary immediately ceased the scratching and trapped her hands between her knees. "I went hiking with my dad yesterday and fell into a patch of poison ivy. It itches so much…" Her face was flushed with the effort of not scratching it. "It reaches all the way up my leg."

Ann crawled over to where Mary sat and examined her thigh. "Geez. Does it reach all the way to your butt?"

The short librarian's color darkened as blood rushed to her cheeks. "That's rather indelicate, don't you think?" She demanded tartly.

Lightning struck my brain. I narrowed my eyes, collecting my thoughts into a straight line before I spoke. "That's it!"

"What?"

"Poison ivy!" I said, excited.

Mary's face tightened with suspicion. "What about it?"

"Your leg (and butt) ought to be examined by a health official, Mary. You may not have simple poison ivy," I explained.

"If you think I'm going to let Tim see my-"

I cut her off. "Good heavens, no! I'll take a look at THAT. But maybe you could go _ask _him to look at it. He'll be so embarrassed that he'll have to send for a woman to do it for him."

Mary crossed her arms and scrunched her face defiantly. Her eyes were slits through which she glared at me. "No."

"But why?"

"Because," she said, with great dignity. "It's indecent and immodest and I won't do it."

We stared daggers at each other until Karen popped her head between us. "I'll do it," she offered. "I'll get some poison ivy on my thigh."

Immediately I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a choking embrace. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you Karen! I knew you'd come through for me! Now we just need to find the patch Mary fell in yesterday and rub a few leaves on your leg. No big deal at all."

Mary's face was still carefully tense. "Why would you offer to give yourself a rash, Karen?"

Karen shrugged. "I've always liked the smell of Calamine lotion." Her devious smile promised unspoken ulterior motives, but I knew better than to pry.

…..

We found the offending patch of poison ivy at the base of Mother's Hill. Karen cheerfully scrubbed her thigh with a gloved handful of the plants while Mary stood back and shook her head incredulously. "That ought to do it," Karen announced, dropping the leaves back on the ground. "one beastly poison ivy rash, coming up. Hey, my leg's already itching! Alright! I must be, like, super allergic!"

Ann cheered heartily. "Go Karen! You get that rash!"

I thanked Karen again from the bottom of my heart and promised that I'd buy her a basket of french fries sometime in the future. She shrugged me off with a vague excuse about "seizing opportunities" and "getting some before it was gone." I didn't pay attention to her. Karen is Karen's own boss and, as a general rule, it's no good trying to understand her.

The next day, a stripe of Karen's leg was bright strawberry red and obscured by tiny pustules. Her face, also quite pink, was twisted in discomfort. "Oh boy," she said, chewing the fingernails on her right hand, "oh boy, I didn't think it would itch quite this much…geez, I'm dyin' here! Can I go to Tim now, Elli?"

I examined her leg. The rash extended up past the hem of her shorts and, hopefully, onto her right buttock. "Does your backside itch, too?"

"Yeah, you bet your snot it does. Holy crackers…" She was perspiring and her forehead glistened with sweat.

"Yes, yes, go to Tim! Hurry!" I all but shoved her out the door of the Library. "I'll be here waiting for you! Good luck!" Mary, Ann, and I watched her jog away towards the Clinic.

Ann asked, "What'll you do if he doesn't send for you, Elli?"

I waved her question away. "I'll cross that bridge if I come to it."

…

Twenty minutes later, I was crossing that bridge. Karen still hadn't returned to fetch me so Tim could grovel for my help. What was going on in that Clinic? Maybe Jeff was having stomach problems again and Karen hadn't even been examined yet. Or maybe Duke drank some bad wine again. I waited anxiously at the door of the Library, straining my eyes to see some hint of what was happening. The Clinic door opened and out stepped Tim and Karen. Aha! Victory was at hand! Then Tim shook Karen's hand vigorously and waved good-bye as Karen walked in my direction.

"Well? Well?" I asked the moment the blonde girl stepped into the low light of the Library.

She chuckled. "No dice, I'm afraid, Elli." I followed her up the stairs. She lowered herself gingerly into a chair, wincing as she put her weight on the affected area of her legs. I stood in front of her with raised eyebrows until she settled herself and looked up at me. "What? He had no problem with my rash or where it was located. He didn't need you."

"So what happened in there?"

"He put some calamine lotion on my leg and told me to stay away from Mother's Hill for a while. It wasn't that big of a deal."

Ann piped up. "He put calamine lotion on you?"

"Yeah," Karen responded. "that's what I said."

"So he touched your _butt_?" Ann gaped at Karen.

Karen flinched away from the laser beams we were all trying to shoot at her out of our eyes. "No, no, nothing like that! He gave me some extra lotion to put on myself! Look!" She hurriedly pulled a small pink bottle from her pocket as evidence. "I swear!"

My heart stopped pounding. I sank into a chair across from her. "So that didn't work either…is there _anything_ with which he's uncomfortable? Not vomiting, not females…"

Mary touched my arm reassuringly. "Don't give up, Elli. We'll come up with another idea tomorrow."

"Thanks. I think I'll go home now and check on Stu…" I stood up and trudged over to the stairwell. "You guys have a good day…keep thinking of ideas."

Around six o'clock that afternoon, Ann and Karen showed up at my front door. "Hey! Elli! We think we may have had an idea!"

I perked up immediately. "Really? This soon? Let's go discuss it with Mary!"

Ann bit her lip. "I don't think that's a great idea."

"Yeah, Mary might not like this one," agreed Karen.

I looked behind me to make sure Stu was still in the back room, playing with his toy dinosaurs. "Why wouldn't she like it?"

"Well, see, it involves Gray," answered Karen.

"More specifically, it involves doing things TO Gray. Things Mary may find distasteful." Ann giggled.

Karen spoke again. "You know how Mary is…especially when Gray's involved."

I nodded. "Yeah. So…what's this idea of yours?"

"Well, obviously the whole 'let's make Ann throw up' thing didn't work," Karen prefaced. "Tim's not bothered by puke. But what about the other end?"

"The other end?" I wasn't following.

Ann had trouble speaking because she was giggling so hard. "Yeah. I see Gray…sunbathing behind the Blacksmithy when…Saibara isn't there." She kept having to pause for giggles. "He always drinks pineapple juice and usually falls asleep. So what if we…sorry! I'm trying not to laugh but it's…it's not working! What if we…dissolved some laxatives and…put them in his drink?"

My mouth dropped open. "You want to give Gray laxatives?"

"Yeah! Like, a lot of 'em! He'll have to go see Tim and SURELY that will work!" Karen's eyes glittered evilly.

"But we can't tell Mary!" Ann stopped laughing and looked serious. "She'd kill us!"

The three of us agreed to secrecy. Karen said she'd sneak some laxatives from her parents' store the next day. I felt slightly uneasy about the deal. Poor Gray…he didn't even volunteer…but in this case, the ends justified the means!

Tim's nurse position was as good as mine!

I overheard Ann and Karen talking as they walked away from my house. Ann said "So, are you SURE Tim didn't see the rash on your butt? Like, for real?"

Karen laughed loftily. "Come on. He's a doctor. But no, he didn't. That would have been so weird."

"You're right. Gross."

"What's gross?" Karen asked.  
"Tim. Tim's so…anti-social," Ann replied. "What's wrong with him?"

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with Tim. I can promise you that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Karen paused. "Nothing. Just that he rubbed the calamine lotion on my leg himself. His hands are really soft." She laughed again.

"Ooooh, girl, I knew there was a reason you wanted to get the poison ivy!"

"Soon somebody's going to fall madly in love with him. I had to get some of him while I had the chance," explained Karen.

They faded out of earshot after that. I shook my head as I walked back to where Stu was babbling to his toys. Who would ever fall in love with Tim? What a laugh.


	6. Six

_Oh man. I'm going off to college on Tuesday. I'm so excited! I'm so nervous!_

_Enjoy the chapter~_

_Please, oh please review!_

CHAPTER SIX

Keeping secrets from Mary is not an easy task. Mary knows. There's no other way to explain it. Mary just knows. She took one look at my face the next day and narrowed her eyes. "Why do you look so guilty?"

I twitched a bit and swallowed hard. "I, uh, I didn't put Stu down for a nap. I feel bad because my, uh, my Grandma's going to have to do it."

"Oh." Mary looked down at her book, mollified for the time being. "So did you think of another plan?"

"No!" I said, far too loudly.

Mary looked up again. "Don't work yourself into a frenzy," she said, concerned. "We'll think of something."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ann stick her head around the corner of the Library and peer into the glass front door. When she saw that she had attracted my attention, she jerked her head to the side and disappeared. "Y-you know, on second thought, I feel terrible about making Grandma put Stu down. Just terrible. I think I'll go back home now and do it." I began backing away towards the door.

"Suit yourself," Mary answered mildly. She turned a page. Her voice then warmed a little. "I think Gray's supposed to come and read with me in a little while. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Right. Okay. Bye." I turned and slunk out the front door. Ann and Karen were waiting for me a few feet away. "Ohh, guys, she has a date with Gray today! We can't send him to the Clinic and ruin it!" I ran my fingers through my hair and pulled.

Karen snorted. "She has a date with Gray like five times a week. So she misses a day. Big deal."

"Yeah, come on! Gray's sunbathing time is about to start! We have to catch him right as he falls asleep!" Ann edged towards the Smithy. "Mary will be fine!"

I stood my ground and shook my head. "No way. This doesn't feel right. No. You know Mary's crazy about him…and she's our friend."

Karen stopped walking and turned on her heel. She stomped up to me and stuck her face in mine. "Which would you rather have? A happy Mary for one day or the job at the Clinic?" I didn't respond. "Well? Pick one!"

I fiddled with some loose strands on my sleeve and shuffled my feet. "I'd rather have the job." How selfish I felt!

"Then get your butt moving 'cuz here we go!" Karen pumped her arm like a cowgirl and strutted triumphantly down the cobblestone street. Her hair caught the sun and reflected on the trees little discs of brilliance. She was like a living, golden disco ball. For a moment I imagined her throwing open heavy curtains and stepping out onto a stage, bejeweled microphone in hand. She wasn't born to live in Mineral Town all her life.

Ann waited until I caught up with her. "Really, Elli. You gotta do what you gotta do." She fished around in her overalls pocket and plucked out a tiny ornate ring box. "Karen delivered 'the goods' to me last night and I crushed 'em up in the food processor this morning."

The three of us crouched in the bushes behind the Smithy. Gray was stretched out in a lawn chair with his hat over his eyes and his arms behind his head. A sweating glass of pineapple juice sat beside him on a crude makeshift table. His breathing was even but shallow, and I held Ann back as she tried to emerge from the bushes. "He's not asleep yet," I whispered. "Wait a few more minutes." Ann reluctantly settled back into the bushes carefully, trying not to rustle.

We waited until Gray's breathing had become deep and rhythmic before creeping out from our hiding spot. Ann opened the box of laxative powder and emptied it into Gray's glass. It clumped up on top. "Oh, no, I forgot a straw to stir it with," I whispered. "What am I supposed to do now? It's all grainy on top of the ice!"

Karen stuck her finger in the pineapple juice and stirred it around. "Ewww. That's gross," Ann said. "Now he's going to drink your finger-cooties." Karen just shrugged and wiped her finger on her shorts once the powder dissolved. Gray mumbled in his sleep and we retreated back to the bushes.

He slept for a further twenty minutes. Our legs had cramped from crouching for so long when he finally stretched, took off his cap, rubbed his hair, and looked at his watch. Apparently he had slept for too long because he jumped out of the chair and hurried inside the Smithy. "No, no, no! Drink it!" I hissed at his back. As if he had heard my words, he reappeared to run back to his chair, grab the juice, and down it before jogging back inside. I jumped up and fist-pumped the air. "Yes!"

Karen pulled me back down. "He may be watching out the window! We have to leave carefully!" She led the way, crawling away from the Smithy on her hands and knees. Once we were out of sight, we assumed casual positions around a lamppost near the front door of the Smithy.

Gray never emerged from the building. I dropped all pretense of casualness and moved closer to one of the windows, trying to see inside. "The powder must not have worked. Your laxatives suck, Karen."

Ann and Karen were tossing a small stone back and forth behind me. "No way," Karen replied. "It had to have worked. It clearly said 'water soluble' on the package and I gave him _three times_ the recommended amount. There is no chance that it didn't work."

"You gave him three times the recommended amount of laxatives?" I twirled around to face her. "That's dangerous! That's really dangerous, Karen! He could get dehydrated, he could faint…he could get hurt!"

Karen caught the stone and dropped her head down to look at me like I was a moron. "He's not going to die from pooping too much. Man, you should see Rick on taco night."

Ann dissolved into laughter, doubled over and holding her stomach. "That is so gross, Karen! I never wanted to know that!"

"I'm serious! I keep telling him to stop piling on the cheese and hot sauce and all he does is ignore me. Then, an hour later, BAM! He's all green and pathetic and locks himself in the bathroom."

Even I started to giggle. Poor lactose-intolerant Rick. He was one of those guys that tried to be all romantic and confident but somehow ended up more awkward than ever. I'd hate to be in his shoes, dating Karen. She had no clue what was embarrassing and what wasn't. He tried hard to do things that would please her and she would shoot them down every time. Even so…it was just so funny…

Another half-hour passed and still Gray stayed inside the Smithy. "You know, I just realized…he's probably so sick that he can't even make the run to the Clinic." I'd been thinking about it. "Should I go fetch Tim down here?"

Ann shook her head. "How would you explain that you magically knew that Gray was sick? That'd be suspicious. Tim can't know you're behind this."

I nodded in reluctant agreement. "Yes. You're right." We stood around a few more minutes. "We can't stay here all day. I have to go back home and start dinner for Stu and Ellen."

Karen threw up her hands. "Well we just suck at this! Do you realize we've made three attempts to make Tim uncomfortable and NONE of them have even remotely worked? We've got to start trying harder. I'm making more pudding for Ann."

"Oh, no you're not! I'm not eating it! I still have nightmares about last time!" Ann fired back.

"What are you guys talking about?" Speak of the devil. Rick stood a few feet away from us, a big smile on his face and his arms full of bird feed sacks. All three of our heads snapped to stare at him.

Suddenly the image of a cheese taco filled my mind and I clapped my hand over my mouth to hold in a giggle. Ann saw the wildness in my eyes and started to snicker also. Before we could stop ourselves, all three of us were laughing until our abs burned. Karen had to lean against the lamppost to steady herself so she wouldn't fall over. Rick stood and watched us, his lower lip sticking out slightly. "Wh...what…what? What?"

Ann couldn't even bring herself to look at the blonde boy. Every time she tried she'd burst out into renewed hysterics. "What is so funny?" Rick finally sighed deeply and trudged past us. "This is your fault somehow, Karen. I know it is."

Karen took a deep breath and looked Rick in the eyes. "Sorry, I just…" Something caught her attention and she moved closer to her boyfriend. "Is…is that a _mustache? _Are you trying to grow a _mustache_?" Rick blushed pink, moved his face away and mumbled inaudibly. Karen broke out laughing again. Rick shuffled away up the street, now quite crimson in the cheeks. "I love you!" Karen yelled towards him, gasping for breath. Rick waved it away behind his back.

"Let's just go home and try again later," I said, wiping tears of mirth off my face. "We're not getting anything done here."

"It's just as well," Karen agreed, sauntering up the street after Rick. "I think my mom's making enchiladas tonight. I better use my bathroom while I can."

…

Stu was singing about the Itsy-Bitsy Spider when I walked in the door of my house. Ellen was crouched on the floor with a picture book, trying to get him to count how many legs a spider has. "Look, baby, look at the spider's legs! Let's count them! One, two, three…can you count with me, Stu? Four, five, oh, Elli! You're home!" She stood up, leaving the book for Stu to play with. "No luck on the job front, I see?"

I shook my head. "No. I just can't catch a break! Nothing bothers him medically! I don't know how I'll ever prove that he needs me." I threw my shoes in the corner of the room and stomped into the kitchen. Stu followed me in and wrapped his arms around my legs. I pulled a large pot out of the cabinet and slammed it on the stove top.

Ellen also followed me into the kitchen and settled herself in a chair by the table. She watched me pull stew ingredients out of the cabinets and plunk them down on the counter, occasionally spilling the contents of open bags. "Don't you give up now, honey. You just have to keep at it. I remember when you were a wee thing and I'd come visit you. I met Tim and his parents one time…he's a sweet boy. Headstrong, yes, but sweet. He'll come around."

Stu hugged my leg tighter. I stopped and sighed by the sink, letting the hand holding the measuring cup fall to the countertop. "I wish my parents were here. It's about time they came back, don't you think?" I turned and looked at Ellen. She was silent. "Don't you think so, Grandma?"

Ellen pursed her wrinkled lips and smoothed out the fringe on her shawl with her crooked fingers. Then she looked up at one of my parents' wedding photos that sat on a shelf. My beautiful ash blonde mother and my gallant, black-haired father were holding each other and smiling, almost laughing, at the camera. My mother's wedding dress had a big, puffy skirt that parted in the front to reveal a panel of pink material, tiered with lace. She'd told me that wearing pink on your wedding dress was an old-fashioned charm to ensure you'd have a girl as your first child. I guess it worked. Ellen nodded slowly, seeing that I was looking at the photo also. "Yes, child. It's time they came back."

…

Mary was out of sorts for the entire next week. She mentioned a few days after the Gray incident that he didn't show up for their reading date and, when she asked him about it, would only mumble and change the subject. Ann and I bit our lips and shuffled our feet whenever she brought it up. Karen sat and sympathized with a perfectly poised poker face. She scares me.

Summer ended and the leaves donned bright autumn colors- - red, yellow, orange, and brown. Tim stayed alone and satisfied in his Clinic. The money Ellen had brought slowly dwindled away. I took to squinting at the ocean every time I passed Mineral Beach, watching for my parents' return. A suspicion was growing in the back of my mind…what if they…what if they didn't return? No. That was absurd. My parents loved me. They loved Stu, too. I sat down at my tidy desk and composed yet another letter to them, begging them to come home. I told them that I was running out of money and was having trouble finding a job.

The swish the letter made when it fell into the mailbox slot in front of Harris' house left me hungry inside. The mailbox was locked. I couldn't get my letter back now. I couldn't make my parents come home. I couldn't force Tim to hire me. I was quite helpless.

Karen was NOT helpless. She brought up her next idea nine days later. "Okay. So. Women do not bother Tim. Vomit does not bother Tim. He's solid as far as tolerance goes. What if…everyone in town got sick?"

Mary, Ann, and I swallowed hard. "What does that mean?" I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

She fished about in her pocked for a second and pulled out a plant sprig. "This."

Mary gasped. "No! Karen! You ought to be ashamed of yourself. What an idea!"

"What? What're you talking about?" Ann sat up on her knees, breathless. "What's that?"

"It's red grass," Mary said, refusing to meet Karen's gleeful eyes. "it's a poisonous plant."

The red sprig wobbled as Karen laughed. "Right you are, Mary! It's poisonous, but only slightly. It won't kill someone unless they eat a freakin' red grass salad. No one would do that, trust me; this little plant tastes like that horrible maroon cough syrup my mother used to give me when I was sick."

"B-but you can't do that!" sputtered Mary. "That's wrong!"

Frustrated, Ann shook Mary's shoulders. The dark-haired librarian had saucer eyes and looked deeply violated. "I still don't get it!" Ann wailed. "What are we doing with the red grass?"

Karen snatched Mary away from Ann and earned a grateful look from Mary. "We're going to put the red grass into the big pot at the Harvest Festival! If we put four leaves in, it should be enough to give everyone who eats it a huge stomachache. Tim will have NO idea what to do with the whole town and will need Elli's help!"

The grateful look on Mary's face faded into a pout. Karen had just ruined one of the only smiles Mary ever gave her. The petite librarian opened her mouth to reply but shut it quickly and jerked herself out of Karen's arms. Obviously she preferred to risk being shaken by Ann than being tainted with Karen's inherent evil. I was shocked that I was actually in favor of this plan. Karen was turning me into a pragmatist. "Ellen and Stu can't eat the Harvest stew, though. Ellen is too old and my brother is too young. There is too large a risk for complications."

"Yeah, alright," Karen agreed. "Just tell them not to go to the festival. It'll be your brother's bedtime by the time it starts, anyway."

"Great. Let's do this." I stood up, stretched, and walked leisurely down the stairs, followed by Mary's reproachful eyes.


End file.
